Chargers’ San Diego Home at Stake as Stadium Talks Loom

Next Tuesday, San Diego Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos will begin negotiations with San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer over the possibility of a new stadium, as great uncertainty over the Chargers’ future in their longtime home hangs heavy in the air.

Faulconer’s advisory group spokesman Tony Manolatos publicized the meeting, which was confirmed by Mayoral spokesman Craig Gustafson, as reported by local ABC affiliate 10 News.

Spanos holds many cards going in to negotiations, as the Chargers have two stadium options in the mix. One, in Carson, near Los Angeles, would involve a shared facility between the Chargers and Raiders, with a projected stadium budget of $1.7 billion.

At the same time, economic considerations have put pressure on Faulconer to secure a deal for the San Diego location. The Chargers Stadium Task Force, after months of deliberation, produced a proposal for a $1.1 billion multi-use stadium that would not require new taxes.

One day after the San Diego group released its stadium plans, a land deal closed for the Carson Chargers-Raiders stadium location.

The San Diego Chargers have spent all but one of their over 50 years in San Diego. The Raiders and St. Louis Rams have each spent considerable years in Los Angeles–the Raiders 14, and the Rams 49. Both teams left in 1994.

The Rams have been considering plans for a stadium in the Los Angeles area as well. Plans for a $1.86 billion stadium in Inglewood have seen similar fast tracking to the Carson stadium plans. The team has not officially announced a move, though owner Stan Kroenke seems motivated to send the team westward, according to an ESPN report.

All three new potential stadiums have been touted as potential Super Bowl venues.

NFL bylaws require that any team seeking to move obtain support from two-thirds of league owners, which would be 24 of 32 NFL franchises.

At a Chargers Stadium Task Force Public Forum in March, fans rocked the current Chargers stadium with raucous calls to “Save Our Bolts, Save Our Bolts!”